Combined toy and game



(No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 1. G. H. IRELAND. COMBINED TOY AND GAME. No. 284,965. Patented Sept. 11, 1883.

u. PETERS. PhubL'rlbognpMv. wmmm tic (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheep 2.

H. IRELAND. COMBINED TOY AND GAME.

No. 284,965. Patented Sept. 11, 1883. I

NITED STATES Puree.

Parent I COMBINED TOY AND GAME.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 284,965, dated September 11, 1883.

Application filed June 12, 1883.

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE H. IRELAND, a citizen of the United States, residing at Spring field, in the county of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in a Combined Toy and Game, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a combined toy and game structure"; and it consists in the combination, with an object representing a fort having breastworks erected thereon, of a toy cannon located upon it, adapted to throw a proj eetile, of a flag-staff and flags, and means connected with said fort, gun, and flags, operative from the effects of a projectile thrown onto the fort, whereby said gun is discharged and one flag is lowered and another one raised.

My invention further consists in the arrangement in conjunction with the above-mentioned devices, of representations of enemy s breastworks, and of a gun capable of throwing a projectile from said breastworks onto said fort, and of being hit,.together with said breastworks, by a projectile fired from the gun on the fort.

My invention further consists in the coin bination, with a toy cannon having a springactuated piston, of improved means for holding and letting off said piston.

In the drawings forming part of this specification, Figure 1 illustrates a toy and game structure embodying my invention. Fig. 2

is a plan view of the fort, partly in section.

Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are detail views.

In the drawings, A is an inverted box, of

which the parts marked eform a sliding cover,

and which is adapted to receive all of the other objects constituting the toy. The supportingblocks 5 5, in which the part c rests, are removable therefrom. The said box A, being inverted, as shown, serves to form the basis of an imitation fort. The bottom of box A is provided with dowel-pin holes to receive the pins projecting below the base a of the flagstaff a", and to receive the dowel-pins in the edge of the blocks 0 c and the pins 4 4 on the under side of the cannon 1), whereby said parts are made to keep their places on the toy. The blocks 0 c are set on the box A in the positions shown in Figs. 1 and 2, their upper edges having holes therein to receive the ends of dowel- (No model.)

pins in block 0'. Blocks 0 c and c are by 5 said means temporarily attached to the box A to form a part of the breastworks of the .fort, which will not be thrown down by a projectile which may strike them, and providing a-suitable embrasure for the cannon b. The blocks forming the balance of the breastworks of the fort are those marked cl (I, placed on A, unattached thereto, and those marked 10 d 10 d, which are set on blocks 0 d and unattached to the latter. The base a has the lower end of the flag-staff a set in it, and has a flagtrip, 6, consisting of a block set on edge, pivoted thereto, so that its free end may swing toward and from the flag-staff, as shown in dotted lines in- Fig. 2. The trip 13 has two pins, 3 3, in its side, adjoining the staff a and close to one side thereof.

The flag-staff a is provided with endless halyardsf, passing through suitable perforations at each end thereof, on which are secured two flags a, having the number on it and representing a colored fortflag, and 0 representing a white flag or 'flag of truce.

To the halyardsf are attached a weight, 71 in the form of a ring encircling the flag-staff, and a spherical ball or catch, a. The weight h is sufficiently heavy to overcome the resistance of the ball a and flag o and slide down on the staff a drawing flag a down and carry ing flag 0 up. \Vhen flag 0 is down, as shown in Fig. 5, the catch or ball a is in such a position that by swinging the flag-trip 71 toward the flag-staff the pins 3 3 are brought over ball at, the halyard-line being between them, and the ball being there held, the flags are made to retain the. positions shown in said figure until the trip '5 is swung back, carrying pins 3 3 from over ball a, when the weight h will drop, carrying one flag down and the other up.

The cannon b is provided with dowel-pins 4 4, wherebyit is temporarily attached to the fort, and to its under side, at its rear end, is pivoted the plate 00, having on its upper face the vertical block so and the pin 90 A plungerrod, v, passes through the breech of the cannon b, having thereon a head, w, grooved around its end. A spring, o of rubber or other suitable material, is secured to pins in the gun, and passes around the end of or is attached to the plunger, as shown.

said rod violently into the gun.

The plunger-rod o is provided with a notch in its side, adapted to have the pin 00 in plate :0 engage therewith when the latter is swung to the position shown in Figs. 2 and 4 and the plunger-rod is drawn out. Swinging plate as to the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2 carries pin :0 out of said notch in the plunger-rod, and lets spring c act to throw A common marble or similar harmless object is used in the guns I) and m for a projectile.

For the purposes of providing the requisite elements demanded for playing an interesting game by the use of the above-described de- VlCGS, the blocks a c are set 011 their edges in proper supports, 5, a little way in front of the fort, as shown in Fig.1, and a toy cannon, m,

is planted between said parts 'e, which represent breastworks of the enemy.

For the purposes of the game, as hereinafter described, the blocks 6 are marked The toy is manipulated for amusement and for the purposes of 'playing a game, as aforesaid, as follows: The parts of the toy are set up as shown in Fig. 1. The plunger-rod of the cannon b is drawn back and retained by swinging plate a; forward to engage pin x thereon in the notch in the side of said rod. A marble is placed in the cannon.

0 f are drawn down to carry flag a to the top of the flag-stafi, and the trip '5 is swung close to the staff, so that the ball it may be caught under the pins 3 3, and the cannon m is loaded in like manner to cannon b. Each of the players in turn takes his place behind the breastworks e e and endeavors, by firing the cannon m, to cause its projectile to strike the trip 2, driving its free end back, and thereby drawing pins 3 3 away from ball n and causing the halyards to be freed, thereby letting the ringweight fall and making the fort strike its colors and haul up the white flag 0. The player also endeavors to knock over the two blocks (1 d, numbered lO. Before the game is commenced one of the opponents should see that the gun I) of the fort is pointed toward one of the breastworks e, so that if the said gun be discharged one of the blocks 6 will be knocked over. Each player strives to so aim the gun m that its projectile will strike the trip t, and this being accomplished and the white flag run up, denoting surrender, fifty is counted in favor'ofthat player. The blocks (1, being knocked off, count ten each. If both the latter be dislodged in the same inning in which the white flag is run up, the total count will be seventy, which is the largest amount possible. Should the player, in attempting to hit the trip z and run up the white flag, hit the block at and throw plate 00 back, and thereby disengage pin 9: from the plunger-rod o and fire cannon b, he is in danger of losing, for if the projectile from the fort-gun should hit and knock over one of the blocks 6 the amount of twenty five would be deducted from any amount to his credit, or to the credit of the side- Halyards I which the box A serves as a base may, with equal convenience and effectiveness, be located on a toy representation of a boat or vehicle to be fired at while in motion by another gun standing in some fixed position, and the class of devices shown and described, in connection with the base A, may on said base or other object, as aforesaid, be duplicated or increased at pleasure in such a way that two or more sides would present substantially the array of objects'of attack shown on the fort in Fig. 1.

It is obvious that the halyards f may have only one flag attached thereto, flag a being removed, so that the eifect, when the trip i is struck by a projectile, as aforesaid, would be to cause the white flag 0 to be raised in token of surrender.

I do not claim broadly a toy fort or other structure having connected therewith artillery capable of discharging a projectile by means of a spring or other similar harmless mechanism actuated by a moving object sent against it.

What I claim as my invention is.

1. A toy representing a fort or other object, having a base on which is a flag-staff, having suspended thereon by halyards a flag and a weight, and mechanism, substantially as described, engaging with said halyards, which, when displaced by the force of a moving object, causes said flag to be lowered, said toy being constructed and arranged to'operate substantially as herein described and represented.

2. A toy representation of a fort or other object, having thereon a flag-staff, having attached thereto by halyards two flags and a weight, and mechanism, substantially as described, engaging with said halyards, which, when displaced by the force'of a moving ob ject, causes one of said flags to be lowered and the other to be raised, said toy being con structed and arranged to operate substantially as herein described and represented.

3. A toy representation of a fort orother object, having thereon numbered blocks displaceable by concussion, and a flag-stair, having attached thereto by halyards one or more flags and a weight, and mechanism, substantially as described, engaging with said halyards, which, when displaced by the force of a moving object, causes one of said flags to be lowered or raised, said toy being constructed and arranged to operate substantially as herein described and represented.

4. A toy representation of a fort or other object, having thereon a toy-cannon provided with a spring-actuated plunger-rod, and mechanism, substantially as described, engaging with said plunger-rod, which, when displaced by the'force of a moving object, permits said rod to be driven into saidcannon, said toy being constructed and arranged to operate substantially as set forth.

5. A toy representation of a fort or other object, having thereon numbered blocks displaceable by concussion, and a toy cannon provided with a spring-actuated plunger-rod, and mechanism, substantially as described, engaging with said plunger-rod, which, when displaced by the force of a moving object, permits said rod to be driven into said cannon, said toy being constructed and arranged to operate substantially as set forth.

6. A toy representation of a fort or other object, having thereon fixed blocks, and numbered blocks displaceable by concussion, a toy cannon provided with a spring-actuated plunger-rod, and mechanism, substantially as de scribed, engaging with said rod, which, when displaced by the force of a moving object, permits said rod to be driven into said cannon, a flag-staff having attached thereto by halyards one or more flags, and a weight and mechanism, substantially as described, engaging with said halyards, which, when displaced by the force of a moving object, causes one of said flags to be lowered or raised, said toy being constructed and arranged to operate substantially as set forth.

mechanism, substantially as described, engag-.

vided with halyards f, one or more flags, a'

weight, 72 and the trip '6, adapted to engage with said halyards, and to be disengaged therefrom by a projectile thrown from said cannon, substantially as set forth.

9. A toy consisting of the breastworks e e, the cannon m, the cannon I), located on a suitable base, and provided with the spring-actuated plunger-rod '12,, and the pivoted plate and block 00 00, having thereon a .pin, 00 said plate and block being adapted to be struck by a projectile from said cannon m, and to swing and disengage pin :0 from said plunger-rod, substantially as set forth. I

10. The combination, with the flag-staff a", the halyards 1', having the weight it thereon, and means for engaging with the pins 8 3, of the trip 1' and said pins, substantially as set forth.

the plunger-rod v, having a stop-notch thereon, the spring 12 and the pivoted plate 00, having a pin thereon to engage with said stopnotch, substantially as set forth.

GEO. IRELAND. Vlfitnesses:

H. A. 'OHAPIN, J. D. GARFIELD. 

